'The only thing that has changed, is the number of airstrikes has increased,' he added.Īvdiivka is located about 25 kilometers (15 miles) north of the city of Donetsk. “The situation here has been difficult all the time since the beginning of the full-scale war.' 'The operational situation is difficult but this is not something that has developed recently,” soldier Maksym Morozov said. Russian forces have increased airstrikes and cut off supply routes in Avdiivka, a town in eastern Ukraine, where the situation continues to be “difficult,” a Ukrainian Special Forces Legion of Freedom soldier said Sunday on state television. “We have not seen any reason to adjust our own strategic nuclear posture nor any indications Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon,” State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a statement to CNN. The US State Department told CNN it would “continue to monitor the implications” of Russia’s plan to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus but would not adjust its nuclear weapons strategy. Some more context: In an interview that aired Saturday on Russian state television channel Russia 24, Putin claimed that stationing tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus would not be a violation of nuclear nonproliferation agreements He said Moscow had already transferred an Iskander short-range missile system, a device which can be fitted with nuclear or conventional warheads, to Belarus. It helped Russia launch its initial invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, allowing the Kremlin’s troops to enter the country from the north. Violating the nuclear non-proliferation treaty,' Podolyak added.īelarus, which is west of Russia on Ukraine’s long northern border, is among Moscow’s closest allies. He once again states his involvement in the crime. Making a statement about tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, he admits that he is afraid of losing and all he can do is scare with tactics,' Podolyak said on his official Twitter account. Statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin that he plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus show he is afraid of losing, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said Sunday. We have got to win on our land,' he said. 'Our task as Ukrainians is to pray and believe, and then it’s up to God. Heavy fighting is ongoing there, there are dead and wounded every hour.' Which is why a very strong commander is there now. 'But the Bakhmut direction is really difficult. 'The brigade is standing strong and Ukraine has no reason to worry about the Vuhledar direction,' he said. Kishak said Russian forces 'did suffer heavy losses' but 'Russia has lots of reserves.' We are the infantry who must stand until the end, not leaving a single meter of our land.' When asked if there are signs of exhaustion among the Russian forces, he said, 'I’ll tell you this - everyone is exhausted but we have to hold on and defend our country. People have been left without a thing but they still help us, the military.' We are trying to support them, we communicate with them. 'People are in a very exhausted emotional state of despair. The police have taken away the rest of the people, especially the children who have been staying in basements for almost a month,' Kishak said.Ĭivilians are living 'wherever they can, even in the corridors, hiding from the shelling,' he said. There are a few civilians who help the military. Everything is burnt out, the city is almost empty. 'Vuhledar has been completely razed to the ground.

Discovery channel tank battles